“As a medically trained dermatologist I am very aware of how difficult some people find it to talk about their skin complaints. I therefore make sure that my appointments are never hurried and that I give every patient plenty of time to talk about what’s troubling them, their health in general and their expectations from treatment. At the end of the appointment I hope you will either have a clear treatment plan or we will have reached an agreement about what investigations or procedures are necessary to resolve your problem. Striving always to work in the best interests of my patients sometimes means that I will recommend a further referral to a colleague with a particular expertise in a complementary area.”